Situated in the heart of the picturesque Marais district, where the third and fourth arrondissements meet, Place des Vosges is one of the oldest and most beautiful squares in Paris and has been a listed historic monument since 1954.

Previously known as Place Royale, the square received its present name in 1800, just after the French Revolution, as a tribute to the Vosges region which was the first to pay its taxes to the French Republic.

Built in the Classic style of the 17th century, Place des Vosges is surrounded by two-storey residential buildings made from typical red brick and stone and crowned with blue-slate roofs.

Maison Victor Hugo

The most emblematic buildings are the Pavillon de la Reine, the Pavillon du Roi and, of course, the house of Victor Hugo, which occupies the second floor of the Hôtel de Rohan-Guéménée, where the famous writer lived from 1832-48 and where he wrote many of his major works.

Today, the centre of the square is embellished by the tree-lined Square Louis XIII, which boasts four fountains encircled by lawns, as well as an equestrian statue of Louis XIII.

All around the square, on the ground floor of the surrounding buildings, the arcades of the Galerie Vivendi are now home to art galleries and street musicians.